Southern Flounder Archives - Page 4 of 4

RUSSELL LAY: “Disputed Fisheries Studies: Politics Or Inexact Science?”

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) – September 29, 2015 – The following excerpt appeared on September 27, 2015 in the Outer Banks Voice. Its author, Russell Lay, is co-owner and journalist at Outer Banks Voice, and an advocate for menhaden fishermen:

Science plays a big role in managing fisheries.

Scientists assess fish stocks, migration patterns, environmental issues – useful data that allow regulators to set policy.

We expect our science to be accurate and unaffected by politics, and as citizens, we expect political actors to treat science in the same manner.

Even Robert Fritchey, the author of Wetland Riders, a history of the Coastal Conservation Association, acknowledges that size limits, creel limits and other restrictions are necessary, and that “the science of estimating recreational discards and mortality is vastly improved.” Which would suggest that if interest groups are put aside, there is some hope science could be used in an unbiased manner to help manage fisheries.

Yet a series of e-mails found their way into the public domain from a 2007 round-robin discussion among several N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries scientists trying to peg a mortality rate for speckled seatrout caught by recreational anglers. See video

It would take a few hundred words to demonstrate where science goes off the rails and how other factors, including interest group reactions, exert an influence on what is expected to be an unbiased, fact-driven process.

The mortality rate is important because it is applied to the estimated landings of recreationally caught species and used to assign “catch quotas” for recreational and commercial interests.

The group of six scientists struggled. They questioned even the scope of the studies. “I have a problem with the adjusted values. The handling effect is a real phenomenon with recreational fishing and is definitely a cause for release mortality . . . this study wasn’t designed to look at stress-related mortality . . . ” said one team member.

They also expressed concerns over small sample sizes, differing numbers based on seasonality and salinity of the water, and a wide variance in mortality rates produced by the studies – from a low of 7.3 percent to a high of 19.4 percent.

For those who skipped the video, one comment by DMF scientist Douglas Mumford angered commercial fishermen already suspicious of state and national studies that were reducing stock assessment numbers in several species and therefore, reducing commercial quotas.

“If we put the 19.4 percent on the table, (recreational) folks will flip out. They’ll tell you there is no way 1 out of 5 fish they release dies,” Mumford wrote.

In the end the group decided to go at the low end and chose a mortality rate of 9.8 percent, even though more than one scientist felt a range closer to 14.8 percent was more accurate.

In 2015, another clash between science and politics took place.

The state Division of Marine Fisheries had ordered a stock assessment of southern flounder, a species many believe is suffering from a decline in North Carolina.

Commercial fishermen dispute those claims, citing rising numbers in commercial landings with no concurrent loss of landings on the recreational side, even while previous restrictions on southern flounder have reduced the catch effort by 137 percent, according to Britton Shackleford, president of North Carolina Watermen United.

Even though the DMF staff recommended against releasing the study, which subsequently failed to pass a peer review, DMF director Dr. Louis Daniel, backed by recreational members of the Marine Fisheries Commission and at-large member Chuck Laughridge (a life member of the Coastal Conservation Association), as well as the CCA and another recreational interest group, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA), declared their intention to move forward on reducing the commercial catch of southern flounder.

Once again, commercial fishermen, noting a study that failed to pass a scientific peer review, saw the “flawed study” still being used to reduce commercial operations, and adding further fuel to the fire regarding whether science or politics was dictating policy at the state level.

While a group of 13 state senators and representatives was able to persuade the MFC to delay taking action on imposing those restrictions until their September meeting, vote counters in Raleigh worry that inland Republicans will follow the CCA lead and allow the MFC to impose restrictions even though the science backing the decision has failed to pass academic muster.

Menhaden was once a major economic contributor to coastal North Carolina communities.

Severe restrictions on menhaden harvesting were imposed in North Carolina and other states based on a 2012 stock assessment from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which claimed the species had been severely overfished by the commercial industry.

Read the full op-ed at Outer Banks Voice

NORTH CAROLINA: Local legislators cast for answers on flounder issue

September 15, 2015 — RALEIGH, N.C. — Fry it, broil it, stick it in a stew — flounder has as many possible preparations as there are chefs clamoring to serve it.

But the fish’s popularity is cause for concern along the North Carolina coast. Fisheries experts say southern flounder are over fished and need stringent management to save them. Commercial fishermen disagree, prompting state legislators — including three from Southeastern North Carolina — to get involved. The fish fight has erupted into an all-out battle focused on the state’s nine-member Marine Fisheries Commission, now tasked with finding a solution that will pacify policy makers, unburden fishermen and keep the flounder swimming.

“I think this is relatively newer to the legislators, and I think they probably jumped the gun on it,” said commission member Mike Wicker, who is also a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “I think they want to represent what their constituency would like them to represent, but I don’t think they’ve had enough time to understand what their constituency wants.”

Read the full story at Star News Online

NORTH CAROLINA: Fish wars swirl around NC’s diminishing southern flounder

September 12, 2015 — Not the prettiest nor the most elusive of fish, the flat, oval-shaped southern flounder is nonetheless a tasty staple along the North Carolina coast, whether it’s caught by fishing rod or purchased in a seafood market or restaurant.

These days the southern flounder is making waves that reach all the way to the state capital, pitting recreational anglers against commercial operators, setting a regulatory commission’s members against one another and their staff, and prompting legislators to wade into a controversy that is the territory of the executive branch. Accusations of political threats and retaliation abound.

The controversy centers on how extensively the flounder is being over-fished. Conservationists and recreational anglers say the fish is so popular that its numbers are in danger of being depleted, and point out that the catch has dropped by 60 percent in the past 20 years. But commercial fishermen say the two groups are being alarmists and are trying to take a shortcut around the process that is in place to regulate fishing.

The state Department of Environment and Natural Resources notes that the smaller catch could be caused in part by stricter regulations. Commercial anglers have succeeded in convincing the environmental agency to reverse its initial support for temporary limits, and have brought a halt to the proposed rewrite of the regulations.

The stakes are large: Ninety-six percent of all the southern flounder that went into commercial markets in the United States in 2013 came from North Carolina waters. Last year, 1.7 million pounds were caught that sold to dealers for $4.8 million.

Read the full story at the The News & Observer

Battle brewing over flounder limits based on disputed study

August 27, 2015 — NORTH CAROLINA — Yet another clash between commercial and recreational fishing interests is coming to a showdown, this time over southern flounder and it now involves the North Carolina General Assembly.

On Aug. 20, 13 legislators, led by Sen. Bill Cook, R-Beaufort, sent a letter to Division of Environmental and Natural Resources Secretary Donald van der Vaart asking him to rescind the authority he gave to the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission to “vote on stock-reduction policies that would have grave economic consequences to commercial fishermen statewide.”

The battle over harvesting southern flounder has been percolating for the past few years. Certain recreational fishing interest groups, particularly the Coastal Conservation Association, have called for a massive reduction in catches of the fish, including a complete ban on commercial harvesting.

Things heated up even more when a DMF-commissioned stock assessment of southern flounder released in January was rejected by a peer-review panel consisting of Dr. Steve Midway of Coastal Carolina University, Erik Williams of the National Marine Fisheries Service and Genny Nesslage of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission — the latter two federal or federally chartered entities.

Dr. Louis Daniel, director of the state Division of Marine Fisheries, said the panel cited two major flaws in the study, one “potentially surmountable” with the other “insurmountable.”

Read the full story at The Outer Banks Voice

Battle brewing over flounder limits based on disputed study

August 27, 2015 — Yet another clash between commercial and recreational fishing interests is coming to a showdown, this time over southern flounder and it now involves the North Carolina General Assembly.

Read the full story at the Outer Banks Voice

North Carolina Fisheries Association Update for August 10, 2015

August 11, 2015 — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:

MFC BRIEFING BOOK AVAILABLE ONLINE

The briefing book is now available for the MFC Aug. 19-21 business meeting at the DoubleTree by Hilton Raleigh Brownstone University Hotel, 1707 Hillsborough St., Raleigh. The commission is scheduled to:

Select and approve management measures for the southern flounder supplement
Receive the 2015 Stock Status Report presentation
Hear an update on the adaptive management measures for the blue crab fishery
Vote on posting information updates for the Interjursidictional and Kingfish fishery management plans online for public review
Approve a five-year fishery management plan schedule

NOTE: The commission will deliberate on southern flounder issue 8:30 a.m. Friday. Please plan to attend if at all possible.

GOVERNOR MCRORY SIGNS S-374

The legislation repeals the logbook requirement for the for-hire fishing industry and prohibits the Department of Environment and Natural Resources from entering into a joint enforcement agreement with NFMS.

FACT SHEET: 2016 SUMMER FLOUNDER CATCH AND LANDINGS LIMITS

NMFS ANNOUNCES 2015 ACL FOR ATLANTIC BLUEFISH

Annual catch limits for the 2015 bluefish fishery:

2015 commercial quota: 5.241 million lb. This is a 35 percent decrease from 2014.
2015 recreational harvest limit: 12.951 million lb. This is a 4.3 percent decrease.

Together, the total allowable landings for 2015 is 18.19 million lb. This is a 13.7 percent decrease from the 2014 total allowable landings. Although the bluefish stock is not overfished, and overfishing is not occurring, the most recent stock assessment update indicates the size of the stock has declined, which triggered the reductions. In recent years, states’ landings of bluefish have been below their allocated quota, and the quota reductions may be partially mitigated by the states’ ability to transfer quota. Read the final rule and get more information from the permit holder bulletin.

RECREATIONAL SECTOR EXCEEDS 2015 FOR GOLDEN TILEFISH, NMFS CLOSES FISHERY

Recreational harvest of golden tilefish in South Atlantic federal waters will close 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 11, 2015. Recreational harvest in federal waters will reopen at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2016. The recreational annual catch limit for golden tilefish is 3,019 fish. Reports indicate that landings have exceeded the 2015 annual catch limit for the recreational sector for golden tilefish.

AGENCIES SEEKING PUBLIC INPUT ON RESTORING THE CAPE FEAR RIVER NEAR WILMINGTON

State and federal agencies are seeking public participation to identify opportunities to restore natural resources damaged due to decades of contamination from a former wood treatment operation near Wilmington. The agencies will host a public meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Navassa Community Center, 338 Main St., Navassa, N.C., to describe their efforts and solicit restoration ideas from the public. Comments on the restoration scoping document will be accepted through Sept. 4, 2015.

TRADEWINDS

Last week’s email link to Maureen was incorrect. If you’re interested in advertising for the upcoming Sept./Oct. issue – which will be distributed to thousands at Fishermen’s Village and the State Fair – you can contact her at editor@nctradewinds.com.

STATE FAIR/FISH VILLAGE

Fishermen’s Village at the N.C. Seafood Festival and the State Fair will be here before you know it. Fishermen, we need you to come out for both events to tell your story. No one can do it better than you. Fishermen’s Village is Oct. 3 and the State Fair begins mid-October. If you cannot attend, please consider donating seafood. We will be providing samples again this year in Raleigh. It’s a big hit and great way to show people why it’s “Got to be NC.”

REGULATION AND RULE CHANGES:

–Coral Amendment 8 in the South Atlantic Effective Aug. 17

-USCG Mandatory Dockside Inspections Required Effective Oct. 15

DEADLINES:

Aug. 26 – Green Sea Turtles ESA Uplisting Comments

Sept. 1 – SAFMC Snapper-Grouper Draft Vision Blueprint Comments

Sept. 4 – Cape Fear River Restoration Scoping Document Comments

Sept. 10 – NMFS Updated Draft Acoustic Guidelines Comments

Sept. 14 – NMFS Generic Amendment to Snapper-Grouper, Golden Crab and Dolphin-Wahoo FMPs Comments

Sept 21 at 5 p.m. – 2016-2018 Atlantic Herring Research Set Aside Applications

Oct. 2 – MFC Proposed Rules Comments

MEETINGS:

If you are aware of ANY meetings that should be of interest to commercial fishing that is not on this list, please contact us so we can include it here.

Aug. 11-13 – Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council Meeting

Aug. 12 – Correction – SAFMC Snapper-Grouper Regulatory Amendment 16 Public Hearing, Jacksonville, NC

Aug. 13 – Correction – SAFMC Snapper-Grouper Amendment 36 Public Hearing, Morehead City

Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.– Cape Fear River Restoration Public Meeting, Navassa Community Center, 338 Main St., Navassa

Aug. 19 at 1:30 p.m. – MAFMC Spiny Dogfish Advisory Panel Meeting via webinar

Aug. 19-21 – Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting, Raleigh

Aug. 31-Sept.1 – ASMFC Menhaden Ecosystem Management Workshop

Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. – MFC Rules Public Hearing, DMF Central District Office, 5285 Hwy 70 W, Morehead City

PROCLAMATIONS:

SNAPPER-GROUPER COMPLEX – RECREATIONAL PURPOSES

View a PDF of the release here

JERRY SCHILL: Lessons from Menhaden & More

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — July 16, 2015 — The following op-ed appeared this week in The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina. Its author, Jerry Schill, is President of the North Carolina Fisheries Association, a member of the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition.

In 2012 North Carolina’s General Assembly banned the purse-seining of menhaden off our coast, in part, due to a stock assessment that was less than ideal. Three years later, we find that the stock assessment was incorrect and menhaden are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring.

A 2009 stock assessment claimed speckled trout had been overfished for the past 18 years leading to drastic restrictions. In 2014 we found the assessment was incorrect and speckled trout had never been overfished and overfishing had never occurred, moving the fish from the bottom category of “depleted” to the best category of “viable” in this year’s stock status report.

Twice in the last few years through the actions or recommendations by the Marine Fisheries Commission, (MFC), we banned one type of commercial fishing and restricted the other based upon bad information.

Now comes southern flounder, the most economically important commercial finfish fishery in our state. Since 1979, 28 conservation measures have been put in place in that fishery, including increased size limits and numerous gear changes and closures. Yet, the commercial landings have remained steady. Two of the three peer reviewers for the most recent flounder assessment stated it could not be used for management purposes. What in the world is going on?

After menhaden and speckled trout, is it any wonder that North Carolina Fisheries Association, (NCFA), questions the efforts of the MFC to rush into draconian measures……again?

Our position has been consistent: we believe the MFC should be working on an amendment to the fishery management plan for southern flounder. A supplement is too quick and too easy to once again make a major mistake at the expense of commercial fishing families and consumers. The supplement process avoids the public participation and the regulatory oversight that comes with an amendment. The MFC is using the supplement in an effort to avoid that oversight and push an agenda that includes a ban on large mesh gillnets. They are circumventing the process established by the General Assembly; so we have suggested that legislators apply the brakes!

It’s been suggested by some very credible sources that the MFC has violated the Open Meetings Law in this process. The process now is so skewed that Allyn Powell, a retired fisheries biologist with 30 years at the National Marine Fishereries Service Beaufort Lab, resigned from the science seat on the MFC because he felt the decisions being made were agenda-based that usurped science!

Mr. Sneed of the CCA cited the 2014 Stock Status Report that classified 15 of the 29 species of finfish managed by the state as either “of concern” or “depleted”. However, the 2015 report shows improvement with 12 of those categories, and more importantly, those listed in the top category as “viable”, went from nine to 13!

There is a segment of commercial fishermen who claim nothing is wrong with southern flounder and nothing should be done. Likewise, there are those recreational fishermen who espouse banning the nets, regardless of the data. Both are wrong. The southern flounder plan should be amended, and had the MFC made that decision back in February, they would be well along in that process.

We believe that organizations like ours should strive to assure the process is served as the General Assembly intended. We shouldn’t be using the end to justify the means. Shame on the CCA and the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, who not only are very open about their wish to ban large mesh gillnets, but who have members sitting on the MFC who do their bidding.

As one who sat through hundreds of hours of meetings during the deliberations of the Moratorium Steering Committee deliberations in the 90s and attended the signing of the Fisheries Reform Act by Governor Jim Hunt in 1997, I know the legislators’ intent with the passage of that law. It was to establish a very deliberative process with extensive public input and regulatory oversight. The proposed supplement for southern flounder avoids much of that, and the MFC obviously needs some assistance in understanding its role in the process.

Read this op-ed online at The News & Observer

JERRY SCHILL: Facts about North Carolina fish stocks

July 13, 2015 — Regarding the June 27 Point of View “The dark side to North Carolina’s fishing heritage”: In 2012, the General Assembly banned the purse-seining of menhaden off our coast, in part due to a stock assessment that was less than ideal. Three years later, we find that the stock assessment was incorrect, and menhaden are not overfished. A 2009 stock assessment claimed speckled trout had been overfished, leading to drastic restrictions. In 2014, we found the assessment was incorrect, moving the fish from the bottom category of “depleted” to the best category of “viable” in this year’s stock status report.

Twice in the past few years through the recommendations of the Marine Fisheries Commission, we banned one type of commercial fishing and restricted the other based upon bad information. Now comes Southern flounder, the most economically important commercial finfish fishery in our state. Since 1979, 28 conservation measures have been put in place in that fishery, including increased size limits and numerous gear changes and closures. Yet the commercial landings have remained steady. Two of the three peer reviewers for the most recent flounder assessment stated it could not be used for management purposes. What is going on? After menhaden and speckled trout, is it any wonder that we question the efforts of the MFC to rush into draconian measures again?

Read the full opinion piece at The News & Observer